CMFR Staff, Author at CMFR

Duterte’s health, again: Few reports show improvement

SPECULATIONS ABOUT the president’s health won’t be quelled so easily, especially when Duterte himself is suddenly and unwontedly fueling them. Following the rumors last week that he had flown... Read more

Media’s critical lens spotlights call for “revolutionary government”

THE POINT of a “revolutionary government” seemed lost on a group of Duterte supporters who trooped to Clark Freeport in Pampanga on August 22 to support the People’s National... Read more

Media an echo chamber for official chorus on Duterte’s health

IT WAS netizens rather than the media who pieced together seemingly unrelated events that led to rumors about President Rodrigo Duterte’s whereabouts and his health. Online speculation was triggered... Read more

Call for timeout: What was accomplished?

THE MEDICAL community’s distress call to the government last August 1 was clear in its purpose: representatives of medical associations asked for a two-week timeout to allow them to... Read more

Media follow government lead in reporting historic economic recession

THE GOVERNMENT announced the country’s first recession in three decades on August 6. At a press conference, the administration’s economic managers reported that in the second quarter of 2020,... Read more

Media fail to challenge government spin as PH tops Southeast Asia in COVID cases

SINGAPORE-BASED Straits Times reported on August 5 that the Philippines was likely to be Asia’s COVID-19 hotspot as it recorded 6,532 new infections, the highest in a single day.... Read more

Media failed to probe record-breaking “mass recovery” numbers

DOH DREW flak for reporting an unexpected surge of COVID-19 recoveries amid the continued increase in the number of cases. On July 30, the health department reported a record-breaking... Read more

Distress call from the health sector: Media only scratch the surface

FINALLY, the medical community has spoken, pleading for relief for its front liners. In a video conference organized by the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) last August 1, a... Read more

SONA in the time of COVID: Media capture the letdown

THE COVID-19 pandemic tempered the usual pomp and circumstance that accompanies the State of the Nation Address (SONA). Government preparations for this year’s SONA required heightened health protocols, such... Read more

COVID superspreader decisions: Media should hold government accountable

THE MEDIA did not miss the sorry spectacle of thousands crammed in the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. The category of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) now includes people who want... Read more